586 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUBB AND COTTAGE QARDENEB. 



[ December 81, 1874. 



ing like the other late sorts which the houae contained, the 

 rod was cut out altogether at a poiat some inch or two below 

 its union with the Alicante variety, on which it had been 

 gi'afted as is shown in the accompanying sketch, leaving only 

 the rods of the Trebbiauo and the Mrs. Pince varieties, both of 

 which produced their respecti\e kinds of fruit during the 

 present season as usual, with tie exception of the Trebbiano 

 rod, which produced upon one t,[)ur a bunch of the true Golden 

 Champion variety — true as to size and form of berry and 

 bt bunch, colour, flavour, and even to the characteristic spot. 

 This bunch is produced about the middle of the rod, or about 

 8 feet from where it is united to the Alicante variety, so that 

 several bunches of the true or ordinary Trebbiano variety are 

 produced below as well as above this very unlooked-for pro- 

 duction, which appears difficult to account for, although it 

 naturally suggests this question — viz.. Can it be ascribed to 

 the circumstance of the Golden Champion variety having for 

 several years grown upon the same stock as the rod of the 

 Trebbiano Vine which has produced the bunch in question ? 

 And should this be admitted, it certainly appears strange that 

 this result should not have been developed during the several 

 years when the rod of the Golden Champion sort actually 

 existed upon the stock. It would doubtless be interesting to 

 know if anything similar to this has ever come under the 

 notice of others of your many readers and correspondents, 

 whether in the case of the Grape Vine or in any other kinds 

 of fruit trees. It might also be interesting to know, if possible, 

 something of the origin of the Golden Champion Grape, 

 whether it was the result of a sport, and if so, from what 

 variety ; or, if a seedling, from what sort was it raised ? 

 Possibly Mr. Thomson may kindly furnish this information.— 

 P. Gkieve, Culford, Bury St. Edmunds. 



AUEICULAS. 



It appears that southern growers have, some of them, had 

 cause to fear that chances of a strong spring bloom of Auri- 

 culas stand seriously affected by the profuse show of trusses 

 that came forward in the mild sunny autumn. 



Because of " D., Deal's," notes upon this painful subject, 

 in which he says that perhaps half his blooming plants have 

 sent up autumn trusses, I went down to my Auriculas to see 

 how far facts would bear out my impression, that in a very 

 tempting season they had not been misled into much autumn 

 blooming. I took for sample the department that contains 

 the thick cream of the collection. Standing here in rows of 

 seven, there are 231 picked plants, all the full specimens I 

 possess of such deleotables as Smiling Beauty, Taylor's Glory, 

 Page's Champion, Col. Taylor, Prince of Greens, Lancashire 

 Hero, George Lightbody, and many others. Of this lot only 

 sixteen have sent up autumn trusses, and some of these came 

 np in so good time, that the autumn stems are yellow and a 

 new heart formed again. I do not think, among the other 

 hundreds of large and small, I could count-out twenty more 

 delinquents, especially if I may omit a few naturally constant 

 offenders. 



The plants here in their winter house are accessible under 

 all the snow and ice, an advantage not always to be enjoyed 

 when Auriculas are wintered in frames. Although cold at 

 that time does them no harm, their anxious owner may often 

 "catch it" by exposure at his frames; so a simple well- 

 ventilated house for them through the winter and blooming 

 season is no little and no useless luxury. There may be days 

 and days in the early flowering time when one could but stand 

 in the " cauld blast," shivering at the boxed-up beauties in 

 the frames, but with an inside place the rougher that things 

 outside may be the sweeter the contrast. 



My plants are always repotted immediately after blooming — 

 i.e., during May, with exception of those entrusted with the 

 work of seed-bearing, and none of the dismal predictions made 

 to me have ever come true, that I shall thereby have every- 

 thing in a blaze in autumn. Cool summer treatment, which 

 is no doubt more difficult to afford in the south, is, I believe, 

 a most important point in the culture of this flower. I should 

 not feel content with only shading Auriculas through the 

 summer time in a sunny aspect, for shading is not like shade. 



The plants with their large susceptible foliage that looks so 

 spent and unmindful of appearances in the hot months, de- 

 light in the more equable temperature, the longer dews, and 

 the cool, clear, uninterrupted light of a north aspect. I agree 

 with "D., Deal," that the cooler atmosphere of the north 

 and our earlier autumnal frosts are all in favour of the Auricula 



in keeping the excitable new heart quiet until the spring. In 

 fact, when the plants are in seasonable condition in well-aired 

 quarters, free from damp and dry overhead, there is no kind- 

 lier winter nurse than rough-handed Jack Frost for this hardy 

 pet. Mine are frozen in tkeir pots now, and are welcome to 

 be so for a good mouth longer if they Uke, and I was very glad 

 when the white frosts came with their lullaby after a, long 

 autumnal wakefulness. 



There will be no more rising now of blooming-stems until 

 the magic mouth (for Auriculas), of March ; and if I may pro- 

 pose a dry toast towards the success and fine character of 

 next year's bloom, I would say. May we all have among our 

 Christmas pleasures that siguiticant one to Auricula growers, 

 of seeing a few snug heads of pips safe over the autumn dis- 

 temper left visible, but deep and stalkless yet in the hearts of 

 our best green edges. — F. D. Hoeneb, Kirkhy Ulalzcard, Bipon.j 



NEW BOOK. 



Roses in Pots, (£-c. jBi/ William Paul, F.R.H.S. Fourth 



Edition. 

 We welcome with much satisfaction a fourth edition of Mr. 

 W. Paul's " Observations on the Cultivation of Roses in Pots."" 

 " The name of Paul," it has been happily remarked, " is al- 

 most as intimately associated with the Rose as that of Stephen- 

 son with railways, or Cobden with free trade." And this is 

 not all ; the Rose must gratefully acknowledge a double debt 

 of gratitude to Mr. W. Paul, of Waltham. The promise in 

 that graceful ode has exactly been fulfilled by him — 

 " I'U make thee famous with my pen, 

 And glorious with my BWOrd." 



Only the sword has been turned into a ploughshare, or more 

 exactly a garden spade. No man has done more, or indeed sa 

 much, for the Rose both by example and precept. There is no 

 higher living authority. But this before us is not merely a 

 book about Roses. Everybody thinks he can grow Roses — at 

 least until he tries ; but even everybody does not think he can 

 grow pot Roses. Those glorious pyramids of perfection (one 

 such is pictured most charmingly at page 89j are entirely out 

 of the reach of ordinary gardens — the owners might as well 

 expect to be able to grow their own Pine Apples ! But still, in 

 this age of luxury, with the amount of glass and gardeners 

 now to be seen in every direction, it is marvellous that more 

 should not be made of this queen of flowers in the very most 

 fascinating of all the forms in which she presents herself. It 

 is a field into which amateurs have as yet hardly ventured. The 

 names of exhibitors of good pot Reses may still almost be 

 oounted-up on one hand ; while Mr. W. Paul — like that Welsh- 

 man in the days of the Deluge, of too old a family to associate 

 with Noah, and who therefore had an ark of his own— Mr. 

 Paul, as all know, gives the public a special most delightful 

 spring exhibition of pot Roses. 



From the writings of Mr. Paul it is sufiicieutly evident that, 

 where proper appliances exist, the cultivation of even exhibi- 

 tion specimens need present to careful cultivators no in- 

 superable diflioulties. In his preliminary remarks here he tells 

 us how the idea of cultivating pot Roses for exhibition ori- 

 ginated — namely, in " prizes offered from the Horticultural 

 Society of London," and how the thing at first hung fire. He 

 has now the satisfaction of telling us in the preface to this 

 fourth edition : " This system of cultivation has created some 

 stir among the lovers of Roses ; and from the decided superi- 

 ority of the specimens exhibited during the present year it 

 would appear that Roses are well adapted for pot plants, and 

 are likely to engage the attention of numerous plant-culti- 

 vators." That which is merely here alluded to may well be 

 reproduced from one of the descriptions in the journals of the 

 day. The date which delightful old Jacob (see page 81) wrote 

 up in mysterious eymbolage, " Syd., May 8th," has its place 

 undeniably in many grateful memories. We will just recall 

 the scene that May morning at the Crystal Palace: — " Every- 

 where the eye rested upon banks of glorious flowers, which 

 made the atmosphere heavy with fragrance." " One hardly 

 knew which to admire most, the magnificence of the plants or 

 the taste displayed." As we then took occasion to remai-k in 

 " our Journal," Mr. W. Paul was to be congratulated " on the 

 opportune time which he selected for his exhibition, which en- 

 abled His Imperial Majesty the Czar to see what English-grown 

 Roses really are." It was remarked at the time that the Em- 

 peror Alexander " showed a strong inclination to enjoy it longer 

 than the programme marked out for him allowed of." Per- 

 haps, if there was one thing wanting, it was that our other 



